1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tablet packaging controlling apparatus capable of identifying information of tablets to be accommodated in a tablet cassette, of automatically tracking a position of a tablet cassette mounted to a specific cartridge, of analyzing a current status of the tablets accommodated in the tablet cassette, and of notifying the tablets being short when prescribing of the tablets.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, automatic tablet packaging machines feed tablets into tablet cassettes based on kinds of the tablets, and selectively feeds the tablets from cassette supports by coupling the tablet cassettes with the cassette supports.
These automatic tablet packaging machines are disclosed in Japanese Patent Application NOS. 1994-208787 and 2001-89865, and Korean Utility Model Registration NO. 276236, and etc.
Operations of the automatic tablet packaging machine disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 276236 is described in detail below with reference to FIG. 1 illustrating configuration of the automatic tablet packaging machine. First of all, a memory 101, in which information about tablets accommodated in respective tablet cassettes 100 is recorded, is mounted in an adaptor 102 installed in the lower side of the tablet cassettes 100, and terminals 103 protruded downwardly to the lower side of the adaptor 102 are connected to a socket 201 installed on the upper side of the cassette support 200. A microcomputer 300 connected to the socket 201 reads tablet information recorded in the memory 101 to recognize information of tablets accommodated in the tablet cassettes.
In the above-mentioned automatic tablet packaging machine, the tablets are discharged by a rotation member in the tablet cassettes 100 rotated by a motor disposed in the cassette support 200. In this case, the terminals inserted into the socket 201 vibrate due to vibration of the tablet cassettes 100 so that contact failure is generated and the tablet information cannot be normally read due to contact failure.
Moreover, in the above-mentioned automatic tablet packaging machine, the tablet information is recorded in the memory 101. The tablet information can be replaced with new tablet information by a writer. In other words, since, in a conventional automatic tablet packaging machine, the tablet information must be replaced by the writer, it is inconvenient to use and manage the writer.
Furthermore, since, in the above-mentioned automatic tablet packaging machine, a tablet cassette with a same identification cannot be mounted, position tracking of a tablet cassette without response is unable, and there is a limit for the number of the tablet cassettes to be used. In other words, if tablet cassettes provided by the same identification are mounted in different tablet cassettes, it is difficult to select the tablet cassette to be used for the prescription and thus the prescription becomes impossible.
Moreover, according to the conventional automatic tablet packaging machine, it is impossible to analyze a current status of a quantity of remaining tablets in the respective tablet cassettes, and there is no function of notifying lack of the tablets required to prescribe medicine by comparing the remaining quantity of the tablets with a quantity of the tablets to be prescribed.
Furthermore, since an automatic tablet packaging operation of the conventional automatic tablet packaging machine is unconditionally stopped when there is an insufficient quantity of tablets during filling of any prescription, every filling of following prescriptions are stopped.